''Christus Apollo: Cantata Celebrating the Eighth Day of Creation and the Promise of the Ninth'' is a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

in four movements for narrator,

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

, choir, and orchestra, based on a text by the science fiction author Ray Bradbury and composed by the American composer Jerry Goldsmith. The piece was commissioned by the

California Chamber Symphony The California Chamber Symphony (CCS) was an orchestra based at Royce Hall, University of California, Los Angeles. It was founded by violinist and conductor Henri Temianka in 1960 and was the first true chamber orchestra in Los Angeles. History ...

in 1969, and premiered later that year in Royce Hall at UCLA with the narration performed by

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

(who had starred in the 1968 film, '' Planet of the Apes'', for which Goldsmith had composed the musical score).

Style and composition

''Christus Apollo'' consists of four movements separated by narration; a complete performance lasts approximately 35 minutes. The musical landscape of the piece blends elements of

dodecaphonism The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition first devised by Austrian composer Josef Matthias Hauer, who published his "law ...

and impressionism. In the 2002 Telarc release, Goldsmith commented on the work's inception and composition:

Reception

Richard S. Ginell of the '' Los Angeles Times'' praised the work, saying, "It's a mystical, ear-enticing souvenir from the year of the first moon landing, with long stretches of narration and no maudlin compromises." ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' also lauded the cantata, saying, "It’s an ambitious‚ sincere and supremely wellwrought offering‚ whose progressive harmonic sensibility and imaginative instrumental resource will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Goldsmith’s genuinely adventurous and striking score from the previous year for

Franklin J. Schaffner Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...

’s science fiction classic‚ ''Planet of the Apes''."

Discography

A 33.3 RPM vinyl recording was made for the participants of the original 1969 performance. Only 10 known copies exist. A CD version of this recording was released by Tsunami Records, Germany, in 1995. A recording of ''Christus Apollo'' was released February 26, 2002 through Telarc and features Goldsmith's other orchestral works Music for Orchestra and '' Fireworks: A Celebration of Los Angeles''. The recording was conducted by Goldsmith and performed by the mezzo-soprano Eirian James, the London Voices, the London Symphony Orchestra, and narrator Anthony Hopkins.

References

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External links

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of the composition Compositions by Jerry Goldsmith 1969 cantatas Cantatas 20th-century classical music Compositions for symphony orchestra Twelve-tone compositions Compositions with a narrator Works by Ray Bradbury